As she crossed the finish line of the NCAA national championship, women’s cross country captain Lexy Halladay-Lowry (BS ’24), had only one thought on her mind amidst the chaos of the race’s end: Did we win? Huddled tightly with her teammates, she didn’t dare believe in their victory, not yet. Then, like a beacon, head coach Diljeet Taylor raised one finger to the cold November sky: No. 1.
Minutes later, the men’s cross country team surged forward with a big lead and held it to the end, taking its second national title—as BYU became the first institution in 20 years to have both men’s and women’s teams claim the NCAA victory.
“Our women did a wonderful job, which set the table for us,” says men’s cross country coach Edward D. Eyestone (BA’85, MS ’90). “We wanted to get out and do the best we could.” After finishing first in the Big 12, both BYU teams had high hopes but never let the pressure drag them under.
“This year I’ve learned about the power of being mentally strong and the power of brotherhood,” says men’s captain Casey A. Clinger (BS ’24), who finished sixth overall and earned his fifth All-America honor. “We’re best friends. We did this for each other…. The love and the friendship we have really pulled through.” Four senior men earned All-America honors.
“It was surreal,” adds Halladay-Lowry, one of three BYU women to finish in the top 40 and be named All-American—despite having spent the last three weeks training in swimming pools as she recovered from an injury. “This year coach had just decided we are embracing the imperfect,” she says, “and we had the most imperfect build to have the most perfect outcome.”
After 16 weeks of embracing setbacks, the women’s cross country team stayed committed, Taylor says. “They ran for each other…. They let go of individual success and focused on the team. I’m incredibly humbled and grateful to belong to these women.”
The teams celebrated their victory with a fireside at the end of the night. “I’m really proud that we got the win today,” Taylor told attendees. “What I’m really, really proud of is these women who have… become vulnerable in their relationships, not just with me, but they’ve watched and committed to each other, and their relationship with God has grown.”
